title: Use of complementary and alternative medicine by cancer patients at a Montreal hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess feasibility of methods for a future study of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by cancer patients treated in conventional health care settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients aged 18 years and older, fluent in English or French, and diagnosed with cancer from St. Mary's Hospital Center, Montreal, Canada participated. Feasibility was measured by the rates of participation and CAM use in the past 1 and 12 months. Following the survey, one patient focus group was held to better understand cancer patient perspectives on discussions of CAM that occur or not with their family physicians.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 103 patients approached, 100 (97.1%; 77% female, 87% white) participated. Overall, 86% and 91% of respondents used at least one CAM in the past 1 and 12 months, respectively. More patients with breast compared with colorectal and other cancers (90.2%, 86.2%, and 80%, respectively) used CAM in the previous year. In the past 1 and 12 months, natural health products were used by 70% and 80% of respondents, respectively; mind-body therapies by 61% and 64%, respectively, and CAM practitioners by 11% and 29%, respectively. More than 98% of patients used CAM to improve quality of life and 68% disclosed CAM use to their physicians. Four of 5 focus group participants used CAM. Patient-physician CAM discussions varied from receiving a CAM referral to complete dismissal of the topic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Recruitment methods were well accepted but a sampling strategy stratified by sex and ethnicity will ensure sufficient representation by males and non-whites. Whereas disclosure of natural health products use is occurring, informative CAM discussion is not.
authors.affiliation: McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. maida.sewitch@mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Maida J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sewitch
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yaffe
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maisonneuve
authors.forename: Jaroslav
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prchal
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ciampi
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D030881:Disclosure; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D026441:Mind-Body Therapies; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018579:Patient Selection; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D011792:Quebec; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products